A while back, we configured a $100,000 Ford F-250 Super Duty on the Ford website. As luck would have it, we recently had a chance to get behind the wheel of a truck eerily similar to the one we configured. As you can imagine, it was pretty much everything we hoped it would be—plush and luxurious, hard-working and trustworthy. But the plot thickens. On the heels of piloting Ford’s fanciest F-250, the opportunity to befriend Ford’s base-trim regular (single) cab XL F-250 Super Duty was presented. Of course we said yes—maybe a little too quickly. It, too, was pretty much everything we hoped it would be—straightforward and comfortable, also hard-working and trustworthy.

As we bumped along in the badass single cab, a brilliant idea struck: compare the interior of Ford Super Duty’s highest-trim Platinum to the lowest-trim XL. The best way to gauge an interior is to compare it to another interior, right? The thought of Platinum versus XL excited us, so without further ado, let’s introduce the two trucks and then jump inside to see the similarities and differences between these two trim bookends. For those not interested in reading further, spoiler alert: we loved both. The pictures tell the story.

2025 Ford F-250 Crew Cab Platinum Super Duty: $108,770

The 2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty Platinum Tremor showed up with a dazzling halo glowing smugly atop its pretty Ruby Red exterior. With a pricetag over $108,000, this angelic creature was the all-star of the Super Duty lineup, the cream of the crop. Nearly all the Super Duty you could want was at our fingertips. What started as a $78,000 top-trim Platinum ballooned into $108,7700 thanks to nearly $29,000 in options: High Output 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 ($12,995), Platinum Plus package ($6,500), Tremor Off-Road package ($4,375), Vehicle Integration System 2.0 ($400), retractable tonneau cover ($2,200), and a bevy of small-dollar additions.

2025 Ford F-250 Regular Cab XL Super Duty: $74,675

The 2025 Ford F-250 Regular Cab XL Super Duty immediately lured us in by whispering less is more; come and see. This Race Red single cab rocked 17-inch steelies, vinyl, and black plastic with unparalleled confidence. Was that even a 2025 front end? It was. More feral unicorn than angelic, this XL was the outcast, the rebel, the DGAF of the Super Duty lineup.But don’t get too excited—it had power windows and power doors.

Starting at $48,000, it worked its way up to $74,675 (so don’t call it a “cheap” truck) thanks to a Standard Output 6.7-liter Power Stroke ($10,495), XL Off-Road package ($995), Vehicle Integration System 2.0 ($400), upfitter switches ($230), 410-amp dual alternator ($115), remote start system ($250), tailgate step ($375), 360-degree camera package ($1,150), on-board scales & Smart Hitch ($650), XL Driver Assist package ($730), Ford Performance dealer-installed 12,000-pound winch ($4,225), and a bunch of towing/hitch upgrades. It was a base trim, but to be fair, it was well-optioned. Bright red regular cab with knobby tires, steelies, and a winch—you better believe that this truck probably drew more eyeballs than the Platinum.

Platinum Versus XL: The Interior Materials

New for 2025, the Platinum Plus package unlocked a unique Smoked Truffle interior—the only way to get the Smoked Truffle interior. The package also required the High Output Power Stroke turbodiesel. That made the Smoked Truffle option quite expensive. Sans the Platinum Plus’s Smoked Truffle, the Platinum trim got a Black Onyx interior palette.

The Smoked Truffle interior brought premium Venetian leather seats with French stitching and upgraded perforated seats. The leather treatment extended to the door panels, grab handles, steering wheel, instrument panel, and console arm rests as well. The center console also received a premium wood insert. The highly visual front pillars were wrapped in soft suede. Floor mats were upgraded as well to match the theme, along with illuminated scuff plates. The Platinum Plus package rounded out the hard parts with a twin-panel power moonroof, upfitter switches, and a 2-kW Pro Power Onboard system.

On the other hand, the XL dropped leather, suede, wood, and fancy stitching in favor of good ‘ol Medium Dark Slate vinyl—the only interior option for the XL. The vinyl was surprisingly soft and comfortable, like a good couch that was only going to get better with age. Overall, the relative simplicity of the regular cab XL’s interior made it refreshingly understandable and relatable. As pictured above, the 40/20/40 split bench had a center armrest that flipped up to form the center seat seatback.

Front Seats: Platinum Gets Max Recline

The company’s Max Recline massaging driver (10-way power adjustable) and front passenger (8-way power adjustable) seats were included in the Platinum Plus package. As you can see, the front seats essentially laid flat, which could be a fun party (after party?) trick. With multiple lumbar settings and ample adjustability, these fancy seats were comfortably supportive and plenty complex. The massaging seats were fun to play with, although every adjustment activated the massaging navigation menu on the touchscreen, interrupting whatever was originally displayed on the screen.

The regular cab XL obviously didn’t have Max Recline seats; the amount you could recline was determined by how far up you slid the seat. All adjustability was manual via plastic recline levers and underseat bars (for sliding the seats forward or back). An average-sized driver had to move the seat up a little bit, implying a single cab didn’t cramp average-sized occupants.

Rear Seats

With fancy stitching and contrasting colors, the back seats of the Platinum were quite upscale. Interestingly, the driver-side rear seat had no mechanism to allow the seatback to fold forward, whereas the passenger side did. There was ample room and provisions for child car seats, and the outboard seats had easy-to-access Latch provisions. There was a rear center armrest with two cup holders.

As for the rear seats of the regular cab XL? Trick question. Since you probably haven’t seen a single cab truck in a while, this was what the back of the cab looked like. There was enough room for duffel bags, computer bags, and other small items.

Rear Console

The back of the Platinum’s center console was pretty straightforward, with rear passenger air vents, heated seat controls, two USB-C ports, and a 120-volt outlet. Do you like the fancy bezel, or does it come across as too bedazzled? And why didn’t the rear passengers have ventilated seats? Again, since the XL didn’t have rear seats, here was a view of the center console in action. Flip it up, and you’d have the third seat.

Floor Storage Systems

Relatively secure underfloor storage in the Platinum was revealed with the rear seats up. This boxy storage area also folded flat, allowing you to stuff items under the seats. Both were good options. Car seats made flipping up the seats more difficult, so we preferred the fold-flat storage option where we could jam items under the seats. The single cab XL had its own storage cubby under the middle seat.

Platinum Versus XL: Passenger Dashboard

A side-by-side view of the passenger dashboards revealed the upscale, soft-touch leather and complex stitching of the Platinum versus the hard plastic of the XL. The XL had an open cubby above the glovebox rather than a doored compartment like the Platinum. Again, do you like the Super Duty trim piece on the Platinum? The XL had manually adjustable side mirrors, which met expectations. We were surprised that the lowest section of the Platinum mirrors still had to be manually adjusted.

Platinum Versus XL: Screen Sizes

The Platinum featured a 12.0-inch touchscreen powered by SYNC4. A relatively modestly sized screen by today’s standards, it was aesthetically pleasing and looked well balanced within the dashboard design. We liked the horizontal orientation. The XL, on the other hand, was equipped with an 8.0-inch screen. Despite its smaller display, we had no trouble using it to seamlessly hitch up a trailer. As for the little cubby below the XL’s screen—we’re not sure what you were supposed to store there that wouldn’t just fall out. Maybe it was better used as a storage ledge when parked.

Platinum Versus XL: Physical Buttons

Ford did a good job incorporating physical buttons and knobs into its dash layout. Located underneath the touchscreens, you can see the relative similarities between the Platinum and XL. Of course, the Platinum had fancier trim and added heated and cooled seat functionality as well as dual-zone climate control, for example. The Platinum had multiple USB-C ports and 120- and 12-volt outlets. It also had a single wireless charging pad. The XL was also well equipped for charging with USB-A, USB-C, and 12-volt outlets. Our particular XL lacked a 120-volt outlet for charging devices like computers, which would have been useful.

Steering Wheel And Instrument Cluster Display

The Platinum’s 12.0-inch touchscreen was paired with a customizable 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster display. On the other hand, the XL had a 4.2-inch screen surrounded by analogue gauges. The Platinum had a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, head-up display, and power tilt/telescope steering column with memory. The XL had remote keyless entry and remote start, but still had a keyed ignition (rather than a push-button to start). That’s right, some Super Dutys still require keys.

Platinum Versus XL: Center Console

The center consoles of these two trims were obviously very different in form and function. Whereas the bench-seat XL’s center console flipped up when not in use, the Platinum’s was fixed in place and featured a main cavernous cubby under the soft leather and wood lid. In front of the lid, the inline cup holder insert could slide over the open driver-side cubby, creating four cup holders.

The XL’s hard plastic center console prioritized function over comfort. The Interior Work Surface option (available on XL, XLT, and Lariat) allowed the top surface to slide forward over the cup holders and tilt slightly toward the driver, creating a nice work desk. This desk covered the front set of cup holders but unearthed another set of (previously covered) rearward cup holders. We liked this functionality, but wondered why there wasn’t an option for the work surface to swivel toward the passenger. The console didn’t have any storage; recall that storage was under the middle seat.

Platinum Versus XL: Driver-Side Door Panel

In summary, this side-by-side showed off the differences between the Platinum and XL. You can see the Platinum’s Smoked Truffle color palette, soft leather, and intricate stitching on full display versus the hard plastic panels of the XL. Also notice the speaker grille of the Platinum’s B&O Unleashed Sound System. The system sounded pretty good.

While the Platinum and XL Super Duty trucks shared the same DNA, they diverged greatly when it came to materials and luxuries. Honestly, we enjoyed both and appreciated what both brought to our driving experience. At the end of the day, we’d never turn down that Platinum badge and Smoked Truffle, but we were also not miserable in the XL. Here’s what you need to ask yourself: do the differences between the base- and top-trim trucks matter enough to me to justify the price difference?